Delusions of a LoveSick Cat
by Lainiekins
Summary: The Ailuros is a magical cat found only in Egypt, but why are two love-sick cats running around the Halls of Hogwarts? And what do Draco and Ginny have to do with this adventure? Come read and see!
1. Elle Neeniyo

Disclaimer: I am a poor college student, so if J.K. Rowling wants to sue me for borrowing her characters for this story then she can try, but she'd only get a half-eaten peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich and a can of Diet Pepsi. And if she wants to sue me for that, well, that's just plain mean! The only thing I own is the idea of a magical Ailuros feline, even if he breed is based on the Egyptian Mau.  

Author's note on the bottom!!

**Saturday, August 31, 1996******

Ginny reached into a pocket of her robe and smiled when she felt the reassuring cool touch of a hand full of smooth coins against her hand's flesh. The chill of the coins was one very small victory against the heavy heat that even the magical wizard town of Diagon Alley couldn't control. Ginny had asked one of her many brothers, the smart one Percy, why the weather was so hot, but he had muttered something about an Elle Neeniyo before running for the safety of the cauldron store. 

Percy and his fascination with cauldrons was something of a family joke, so Ginny had just laughed to cover her bafflement at her brilliant but decidedly odd brother.

So whoever this Elle Neeniyo was, be it person or magical artifact, Ginny was glad that it existed because it gave her a chance to walk around Diagon Alley with Harry while he and his friends gathered their school supplies for their sixth year. Ginny couldn't keep a silly grin off her face—walking with Harry, even if it meant listening to Ron complain about the death of his second pet rat, Goobers while Harry and Hermione argued over the next DADA teacher, was a special thing for any young witch, especially Ginny. Although not a contender for the hero's heart, Ginny did enjoy being in Harry's presence, even if it meant wearing a constant blush and not being able to converse normally. She had a habit of stuttering nonsense even when he only asked her if she was feeling ok. 

Unfortunately, the effect of Harry on Ginny was another family joke, one that Ginny rarely joined in with the laughter. The teasing was a lot different when you were the target, after all, and the fact that her family treated the prime focus of her love life like a brother didn't help matters.

She sniffled her nose and felt her thin lips soften into a pout. It was a familiar problem, this Harry fascination of hers, made even worse since her first year when her hero had actually saved her life. Ginny didn't remember much from her first year and suspected she had been put under a memory charm to protect her "delicate sensitivities". Ginny didn't like the fact everyone thought her a delicate flower that needed protection, but she had to admit she had no urge to relive the horrors had befallen her during the first year. It was bad enough those nights she woke up in a cold sweat craving chicken!

"Is something wrong Ginny?" Hermione asked, nudging her friend in the side. Ginny flashed a quiet smile at the girl and shook her head no. She knew that Hermione would soon move her attention back to the argument with Harry, but when the days shopping was finished and the boys were not present the bushy haired girl would interrogate her about what had been ailing her. Ginny didn't mind too much, because Hermione could usually help her with her problems unless they involved Harry, a subject that Ginny had learned to almost never speak of unless she was in for some tough talking from the no-nonsense girl. 

Still, Ginny was glad that at least her tentative friendship with Hermione had survived her first year, even if her memory of most of the events had not. After living with so many brothers in the Burrow, Ginny was happy to embrace any female companionship. Although a Gryffindor, Ginny had found that the Hufflepuff girls made loyal and true friends, while the Ravenclaw gals were mostly just good study mates. She hadn't bonded with any Slytherin, but she didn't hold it against the house as much as her brothers had. Tolerant Ginny, that's what her brother Bill had always called her, when she had defended the other houses against one of her brother's complaints. 

Unfortunately for Ginny, there were only three Gryffindor girls in her year and she didn't get along with them all that well. Annabell Pickrell was a snob who constantly complained about having to attend Hogwarts and wanted to grow up to be a Beauty Wizard, while Avis Tribble was a terrible flirt who only talked to Ginny to get "insider info on Harry". Vicki Blanks was the only girl of the bunch that Ginny could stand talking too, but unfortunately Vicki had an awful stutter that was highlighted by her muted voice.  

Not wanting to dwell on any problems she'd be facing for the next batch of months at Hogwarts, Ginny made an effort to follow along with Harry and Hermione's argument. Harry was sure that the next professor for DADA would be a man, while Hermione was sure it would be a woman. As Ginny didn't much care for DADA in the first place the argument was unable to hold her interest, so the girl turned her attention to her brother Ron who, unfortunately, was composing an elaborate eulogy for his pet rat. 

"Goobers, the most beautiful rat

Goobers, you weren't even fat

Goobers, not the slightest bit lazy

Goobers, although your eyes were hazy

Goobers, a Wizards best friend

Goobers, a…..  "

Ron trailed off on his mumbled poetry with a bewildered look on his freckled face. "Hey, Ginny, what rhymes with friend?"

After checking around to make sure no one was listening in horror to her brother's odd fascination with his dead rat, Ginny pursed her lips, trying to find a good rhyme. "Um… pretend?"

Hermione stopped her argument with Harry long enough to snort. "How about, 'Goobers, our friendship will transcend."

"Transcend what?" Ron asked in confusion, scratching his underneath his earlobe with a long finger.

"Death you silly dolt!" Hermione yelled, then turned back to Harry. "And for the last time the number of female professors on the staff does not have to be equal to the number of male professors!"

Ron stared at Hermione for a long confused moment before shrugging and adding her line to his eulogy for Goobers. 

_Why do I have to be cursed with insane brothers?_ Ginny asked herself before reaching into her pocket again to finger the assortment of coins. She had been saving the odd Sickle and Knut for the past two years in order to finally buy herself a familiar. She was excited because Hermione had promised to help her decide on the best familiar as well as to wrangle with the shopkeeper to get the best deal. Ginny wasn't good at wrangling prices down, but Hermione seemed to be blessed with the talent.

_I wonder if the Magical Menagerie has a lot of cats. I always wanted a cat of my own, especially since Hermione has Crookshanks. Although, I don't think I'd want one quite as particular as him, nor as grumpy. And definitely not a female… whatever Crookshanks is. If the two got together... _Ginny grinned as she imagined the Burrorw overrun by mini Crookshanks in an odd assortment of colors. Percy would be terrified, and Ron would be screaming that the cat had killed his latest rat! 

Merlin knows what her parents could do!

"Oh, look at this shop!" Hermione suddenly commanded, the whole group pausing in front of an enchanted crystal shop. Ginny realized that the group had wandered down one of the small alleyways, because she only vaguely recognized the surroundings from a time she had blindly followed Fred and George. They had promised candy at the end of the alley, but instead all three had earned the dubious honor of degnoming the garden for the next week. 

Ginny turned her attention totally to the crystal figurines and was astonished by their beauty. Not only did the shiny crystal reflect the colors of the rainbow in certain lights, but the sculptures seemed to move as if they were alive. On one side of the store display a lone unicorn figure pranced nobly around its cage of glass, tossing its head from side to side so that its horn would catch the light and reflect pretty colors around. 

"Oh, I like this one." Ginny breathed, her nose against the cool glass window. The unicorn seemed to laugh as it danced in its display case, and nodded its elegant head in her direction before tossing its crystal mane and galloping in a loop around the case. Ginny giggled at the sculpture, wishing with all her heart that she had enough money to buy the pretty unicorn. 

"I wish-" Ginny began to say, but when she turned her eyes from the unicorn she found that the others had left her behind. Ginny shrugged, because she figured they would have gone their separate ways sooner or later, and returned her attentions back to the figure as it pranced about. 

After a good half hour of watching the unicorn's antics, Ginny turned away from the enchanted statue, a soft smile on her lips. Even though her charcoal gray robe was threadbare and almost transparently thin from aggressive wear, the garment was heavy in the bogged heat and felt like a dead weight against her clothes_. I should find Hermione so she can help me decide on a familiar at the Magical Menagerie. She can help me reason out the best animal for me to have. Good thing I didn't ask Ron-- he'd launch into a new verse of his Goobers eulogy and begging me to use my hard fought money to buy **him** a new Rat. And there is no way I would even attempt to ask Harry to help me, because I'd end up stammering so bad he'd think I was asking him out!_

Ginny blushed at the thought of such a horror and began her slow walk back to the busy section of Diagon Alley, completely lost in thought. _A cat? Well, I'd have to make sure the cat agrees with Crookshanks, of course, and it would have to be a male. Female cats don't like me much—especially Filch's. I definitely don't want a toad or a frog, those are best left to boys who like those sort of things. I want something I can pet, after all, and I can't imagine how Neville can take pleasure with petting his Trevor._ Ginny shivered at the thought of stroking the slimy skin of Neville's pet. 

"Hm… maybe a dog?" She whispered out loud, but the idea wasn't as right as that of a cat. The only magical dogs she had ever seen were either huge and smelled too foul to merit petting, or were muggle hating pets who would try to attack even Squibs. While the thought of Filch being chased around Hogwarts by a Crup would be entertaining, she would rather have a mild mannered animal just in case it escaped her handling. She had heard that muggles killed animals that tried to attack other muggles, and she certainly didn't want that for her pet!

A bright silver glare caught her eye, interrupting her train of thought and snapping her attention back onto the path in front of her.   Her heart faltered in her chest when she saw the source of the glare came from a silver clutch purse held by none other then Draco Malfoy's beautiful mother, Narcissa. She managed to smile politely at the woman and moved out of her way, and was shocked when the beautiful woman nodded at her. 

"Thank you, my dear." Narcissa's voice wasn't as arrogant as Ginny had remembered it being, but it was elegant and cool. She was wearing a pale brown fur robe with a matching muff, although her right hand was holding her silver purse.   Ginny wondered how the woman was able to look so calm and cool in the heat, especially in fur!

"Your welcome, Mrs. Malfoy." Ginny said as she attempted to move past the woman, but was blocked by the sudden appearance of none other then the boy toad himself, Draco Malfoy.

"Why if it isn't the smallest Weasel. Have you lost the boy wonder and his two moronic companions again?" Draco immediately said in a gloating tone, his nose rising to such a superior angle so he was forced to look down on Ginny. 

Not that it was too hard to do that, as Ginny was a little over a meter and a half in height. 

Before Ginny could hazard a response to Draco's insults, Ginny found an unlikely ally in his mother. 

"I don't know what gets into him when he's around pretty girls." Draco's mother apologized, her face pinched sharp in anxiety. Although Ginny knew the woman was the same age as her own mother, she wouldn't have guessed it by appearances. Narcissa Malfoy must spend a fortune on AntiAging Charms and Potions, Ginny realized, privately keeping her opinion that women should age gracefully to herself. The girl turned to see what Draco had to say about his mother's words.

It could be the awful heat, but Draco's once pale face matched Ginny's fiery hair. "But Mom! She's a WEASLEY. They aren't pretty!" Draco protested in a whining voice. 

Narcissa sighed and clasped her son's hand in her own gloved. "Now Draco, you know better then to insult a lady on the street. What manners have you lost among those you fraternize with at Hogwarts?" 

Apparently the fact his mother was holding his hand in public was enough to cause the normally arrogant boy to drop his head and mutter something, but Ginny was unable to catch what he said. 

"Now, that's better my dear Draco. And Ms. Weasley, I am sorry my son has lost his good manners. Unlike him, you are a breath refreshing air among the mannerless imps of your generation who scorn polite society. I pray he learns an ounce of good behavior before returning to Hogwarts for his sixth year tomorrow, but I fear it is too late for him. Good day, Ms. Weasley." The woman glided into the enchanted crystal store, a bright red Draco still at hand, leaving an astonished Ginny alone on the path. 

***

Draco was not pleased by his mother's behavior and prayed that the youngest Weasel would keep the incident to herself. But his embarrassment faded as he stepped into the shop and managed to retrieve his stinging fingers from his mother's gloved hand. Thankfully the shopkeeper had cast a Cooling Spell on his shop, allowing the two a brief reprieve from the wretched heat outside. Narcissa made sure her anti-perspiring spell was holding and then glided carefully around the enchanted crystal figures and cases to the back of the shop. Draco noticed that the potentially dangerous statues, like the tiny dragon who spat out shards of sharp edged crystal, were kept in enchanted glass cases. 

"Mum, why did you have to embarrass me in front of the rodent girl?"

At first Narcissa acted as if she had not heard her son, but when Draco stomped his foot in anger the woman turned towards her only son and sighed. "Honestly Draco, throwing a temper-tantrum in the middle of a crystal store. I had thought you would at least act your age in public."

Draco winced, again remembering why he hated shopping with his mother. "If I broke anything we would buy it anyway. Our family has enough money."

"Yes, but what of our reputation? Goodness knows how poor Ethel Goyle deals with the shame that brute of a son constantly brings to that noble family. And don't defend Gregory Goyle in my presence, dear Draco, for I will not have it." Narcissa's face pinched itself into an unpleasant angered look before a blank expression took its place.

Obviously Narcissa was still upset about two years ago when Goyle junior had accidentally breaking four marble busts in the Maleficent Gazebo, named in honor of Draco's many times great Aunt Maleficent Malfoy. Aunt Maleficent was an honored figure in the Malfoy family tree, a great witch whose ingenuity had helped his family gain much of its early wealth and prestige during the Holy Grail Crusades. Maleficent was a heroine of sorts to his mother, so it came to no surprise that she had banned Goyle from entering her home when he had broken Maleficent's statue. The other three had been forgettable ancestors, but Goyle had the bad luck to finish his magnificent bout of clumsiness by sitting on Maleficent's head, shattering the once glorious statue.

Draco smiled as he remembered the chaos that had ensued after Goyle's act. His mother had chased the boy around the Gazebo while shouting obscenities and waving what remained of Maleficient's head before remembering her wand in her left hand. She had hexed poor Goyle with some rather painful curses that made the rounds the Potter herd had placed on Draco and his two friends in fourth year look like child's play.  

"Of course Mother. What Goyle did was unacceptable."

"He should take waltzing lessons. Yes, he should take classes on how to be a gentleman. In my day all Wizards were forced to learn how to act courteously, except for those who could not afford the lessons and had to made due by emulation."

"Like those Weasleys?" Draco asked, eager for some dirt on the family he loathed above all others… except for the last remaining Potter of course. 

Narcissa frowned, the movement creating unkind wrinkles at the bridge of Narcissa's stiff nose. "The Weasleys were not always a poor family, my son. Never were they as rich as the Malfoys, but their falling from grace is a recent occurrence. You would do well to remember that wealth and lack of wealth do segregate the best from the worst—my own family was hardly considered among the wealthy wizard families until the exorbitant dowdies from the last three generations of Vesuvi women added substantial gallons and priceless treasures to our family vault. I have not taught you well, my son, to remember your manners. It does not bode well to talk ill of pureblood wizards, regardless of how low they have fallen financially."   

Draco winced at his mother's scathing tone. "But MOTHER, the Weasleys are muggle-lovers!"

The great woman sighed and shook her head, her forehead tightening unbecomingly into a look of saddened gloom. The latest AntiAging Spells and Potions were unkind to the facial movements, Draco realized, wishing yet again that his mother would lay off the strange Botulinum Potion. In his opinion she looked half her age even without the barrage of Beauty Spells and Potions she forced on her body daily. "My dear son, one day you will learn that it is the blood that matters. After all, the Weasley family does have a great deal of honor in their family. And how many times has your father asked you to remain civil and friendly to that boy Harry Potter, and how many times have you disobeyed him?  Indeed, if we were to judge ourselves by the deeds we lived rather then our families' wealth you would realize you fall well below the Weasley's. You must learn honor, Draco, if you have any hope of succeeding in the future."

"But-"

Narcissa held up one elegant palm to cease her son's whining tone. "I grow weary of your complaints, my son. Now watch how polite society functions rather than the brutish slime you seem to prefer to socialize with." With that Narcissa lightly tapped the crystal bell on the back desk, announcing her presence to the absent enchanter.

A long moment passed without the crystal smith's appearance, but Narcissa remained calm by the enchanter's tardiness. Draco would have smashed a statue to punish the man's tardiness, but Narcissa remained politely motionless. Draco was about to voice a complaint against the enchanter when a blast of cold air infused the room, announcing the presence of the crystal smith. 

Although Draco had been expecting a portly wizard, he was astonished to behold a pretty witch younger then his mother. She smiled at Narcissa and pointedly ignored Draco. "Mrs. Malfoy! How good to see you again! I trust the replication you commissioned of Maleficent Malfoy's unfortunate bust is holding up well in the new Gazebo."

Draco winced, because the new Maleficent bust had a will of its own, often speaking its own mind when visitors were present and always ragging on Draco to be a better Malfoy, like her son Louis the Magnificent. Draco much preferred the mute marble version of Maleficent, but unfortunately he was stuck with the enchanted crystal version. 

_Stupid Goyle._

 Narcissa sent a scathing look in Draco's direction, as if sensing that her son was thinking ill thoughts about Maleficent Malfoy, but allowed a light bubbly laugh float from her lips. "Oh, the enchanted crystal bust of our dear Aunt Maleficent is beyond perfection, Madame Crystal Smith." 

The woman smiled, (_showing more tooth then should be allowed in a proper smile_, Draco thought to himself sourly), and waved her hand in a friendly gesture. "Please address me as Madame Brillons, Mrs. Malfoy. My departed father Luire was a true Crystal Smith, I am but a juvenile compared to his mastery of the crystal enchantments." The woman's French accent was almost as unfathomable as that Beauxbaton snob Fleur Delacour from fourth year. Honestly, if someone lived in Britain they had better speak the language tolerably well! Especially if they WORKED in a shop in Britain! 

Narsissa, however, simply smiled.   "Madame Brillons, then, I am still amazed by the beauty of your work. My husband was so impressed by the commissioned bust that he wishes to have his own bust made of enchanted crystal!" 

Draco winced, imagining a portable bust of his father yelling at him to be friends with Potter and to uphold the family honor. 

"But I did not journey all this way to Diagon Alley about my husbands wish for an enchanted crystal bust in his image. It would take him months to sit for such a piece of artwork, and he does not have the luxury of those precious moments available to him. His work in the ministry, of course, is very time consuming. No, I have come for a different reason—a crystal gift to bestow upon the neighbors new to our area." 

The French woman nodded slowly, a toothy smile creeping up on her lips again. "Yes, yes, I can see the perfect piece to bestow upon new acquaintances to your neighborhood." The woman glided over to an rather ugly statue of a gnome, her fingernails a nasty shade of pink Draco was sure he had seen on Pansy's own fingertips one or two times before. 

"Mother, that piece is ugly." Draco whispered fiercely to his mother's ear, only to earn a swift elbow in the ribs. 

"Hush, my son. You lack an appreciation for the finer arts." Narcissa hissed before gliding herself over to the statue. 

But the French crystal smith was motioning to a piece beside the ugly gnome. As Narcissa and Draco were unable to see the statue Madame Brillons was gesturing to, the woman pulled the statue away from the others. Draco nodded in appreciation to the statue, finding little fault to its subject. It was a small statue of a cat not unlike Draco's own Bast, but the enchanted crystal feline was limited to only blinking up at the wizards above her and purring in contentment. 

Narcissa laughed and clapped her hands, finding the statue to be perfection. "The statue is of an Ailuros cat, I see. It's magnificent!"

The woman nodded solemnly. "I was unable to craft this statue from the example of a live Ailuros but had to rely on a portrait a friend smuggled out of Egypt. The Ailuros is a mighty animal, but unfortunately is not allowed out of the Egyptian borders."

Both Draco and Narcissa nodded, although the two shared hidden smiles. The Malfoy household held one of the rare and beautiful felines--Draco's bronze cat Bast was probably the only Ailuros in all of Great Britain. The feline had cost a small fortune, but had been a special present for Draco's 15th birthday. 

_Money was object for the Malfoy's when it came to purchasing a present, especially if it was for him._ Draco thought with a smirk, turning to head to the front of the shop. But as he turned his rope sleeve caught on the ugly gnome crystal, sending the priceless (if ugly) statue hurling towards the ground…

***

Author's Note: Delusions is my baby, but I want to thank Sharie (my roommate) and Fly for reading Delusions and adding some humor bits. Fly is responsible for the absurd spelling of El Nino, by the way! 

I realize some people will be taken aback by the characterization of Draco, but I'm trying to keep him canon. I always saw him as spoiled rather then abused o.o;; But don't worry, Delusions will be D/G, but it takes time—both Ginny and Draco will grow together XD. 

And I treasure constructive criticism! The review button is more then your friend! It is your destiny!  *points* 


	2. Boiled Bunny Ribbons

**Chapter Two: **Boiled** Bunny Ribbons******

**Disclaimer**: Yep, I am still a poor college student, at least until my finals are finished later this week anyway. J.K. Rowling owns everything you see except for the purple bunnies of doom, the Ailuros, and … um … that's about it. 

**Dedication**: I'm dedicating this chapter to the bestest roommate in the world, Sharie, because she's the one who prodded me with a plastic spork until I sat down to make chapter two finally happen. Plus, she let me read this chapter to her out loud! Best roommie ever!  

And as always, there's an author's note on the bottom!!

", ,"   ", ,"   ", ,"   ", ,"   ", ,"

_But as he turned his rope sleeve caught on the ugly gnome crystal, sending the priceless (if ugly) statue hurling towards the ground…_

"Wingardium Leviosa!" 

Draco's sudden fall was halted by a sharp jerk as his mother's spell struck his body with more force then her disagreeing marks earlier. Shame boiled his face pink, but Draco attempt to keep a noble look on his face as his mother swung his body up over the crystal figures and set him down at the entrance to the shop. 

His feet touching solid ground again, Draco looked down as he dusted off imaginary dust from his robe, trying to control the disgrace clearly scribbled across his face before his mother could see it and reproach him for disgracing the Malfoy family yet again. When his emotions were secured under a mask of an unfeeling gentleman, Draco slowly raised his head up and coolly regarded his mother and the wide eyed crystal smith.

"Please accept my apology for my clumsiness, Madame Brillons," Draco said in his smoothest voice, "And that you mother for reacting swiftly to avoid family… disgrace."

Narcissa wasn't fooled by her son's smooth apology and pressed her potion-enhanced lips into a very thin line that Draco had thought impossible with all the foreign material secured within her fading lips. "Run outside, Draco," Narcissa raised one gloved hand, still holding her wand in a tight hold, and pointed to the doorway. "Madame Brillons and I have important _adult business to discuss, and I won't have our discussion interrupted by your childish clumsiness."  _

Draco felt his hackles rise up at his mother's jab at his age and maturity, but he knew better than to argue with her, especially in a public place where the social ears could overhear everything. "Yes, mother," he gritted out, turning smartly on his heel and shoving the door open. A blast of humidity assaulted his skin, but Draco was too angry to care about such worldly concerns. 

His mother's jab at his maturity smarted far worse than anything any of his peers could say, especially that lout Weasley and the rest of the bumbling, muggle-loving trio. _And his younger sister, too,_ Draco added mentally, feeling his lips twist into a more familiar malicious grin. 

_I shall have to add her to my list of people to torment as soon as I get back to Hogwarts. Draco thought, leaning the back of his head and shoulders against the glass window of the shop. The cool surface was a welcome release from the heat, but Draco would rather be gone from this… provincial shopping area and back in the welcome coolness of his home. _

"At least if I was home I wouldn't be insulted like I was in that shop." Draco muttered to himself, reaching up to wipe the moisture off the back of his neck above the collar of his robes.  "And I wouldn't be sweating like a muggle pig, either."

A few minutes passed, and Draco felt his patience running thin. "I should be treated with more respect. This is intolerable—I'm the only heir of my father, and I'm out here waiting for my mother to stop chit-chatting with a SHOPKEEPER in the blasted heat—what is that?" Draco crouched down, peering at the thin line of red ribbon lying against the dusty cobblestones. Tenderly he reached down and picked the soft material up, recognizing it at once as cheap satin, and brought it up to his eyes to stare at it.

He had actually hadn't been able to identify what the ribbon was from a standing position—his vision was notoriously bad, but he was too stubborn to allow his mother to perform the necessary spell to contradict his poor sight, and there was no way he would be seen running around Hogwarts with GLASSES on. 

"Slytherin and the rest of the houses would think I'd gone Potter-mad or something." He glared at the ribbon, having half a mind to crush the ribbon in the palm of his hand, but instead smoothed it against the palm of his hand. "I wonder whose ribbon this is…"

A vision of Ginny Weasley, the youngest and hopefully last of the litter of muggle-loving traitors, popped into his head, complete with her red curls caught up in poor quality and mismatching satin ribbons. His lips tightened into a slow and very evil looking smile. "Oh, I can have fun with this," he sneered down at the ribbon, plans against the idiot Weasley family forming underneath his sun baking scalp.

", ,"   ", ,"   ", ,"   ", ,"   ", ,"

Ginny browsed the collection of cages that housed potential familiars, her brown eyes carefully looking over each and every inhabitant. She was looking for that magical spark of knowing that the creature she was looking at was hers, but she hadn't found that spark by looking at the rabbits, snakes, and other magical creatures the shop offered her eager eyes.

_I'm going to have to face it sooner or later. I'm never going to have a familiar! I might as well save my coins and just make an old sock of one of my brothers into some odd pet. Stuff the stock with feathers, decorate it with buttons for eyes and stitches for a nose and ragged mouth, and then charm it to make odd clucking noises and viola! Instant familiar for a poor Weasley girl! _

The shortest Weasley giggled as she leaned against a cage of soft lavender bunnies. The inhabitants disappeared from sight with loud pops of displeasure with her sudden burst of noise, and Ginny forgot her hunt for the illusive familiar spark to watch the cage with curiosity. If the girl narrowed her eyes to small slits of concentrated eye power and focused on the individual pieces of straw that littered the rabbits' cage, Ginny could see small indentations of an invisible rabbit's paw pressing on the straw. 

"That's an interesting trick, I wonder why the bunnies developed such a weird talent. Angora's bunny Merlin wasn't nearly as neat as these bunnies are. Maybe I should get one." Ginny voice softened in awe as one of the bunnies popped back into Ginny's vision and began to gnaw softly on its hindquarters, possibly to get at an annoying flea or just to get at an itch. The pale lavender fur rippled underneath the flaring lights, beckoning the casual viewer to reach into the wire cage and pet the visible bunny's fur. 

"I bet you would love me to pet you." Ginny cooed, twisting her wrist as she attempted to shove her small hand in between the wire bars of the cage. She winced as a sharp pain lanced her wrist at the strain and pulled her hand out of the position, looking at the bunny with saddened eyes. "I'm sorry fellow, but my hands seem to be too big."

The lavender bunny stopped gnawing on his hindquarters to stare in her direction, his eyes gleaming with intelligence. Ginny felt a stab of alarm as the bunny began to slowly hop over to her, his eyes intent on her face. Were animals, even magical ones, really that smart? She backed up a step, only to be pushed back as a five or so year old boy moved into her spot and laughed at the rabbit. 

"Mum! Mum! Come look at the bunny! It's all purple!" The boy shouted, standing on tip toe and threading his fingers into the cage's bars to hold himself at eye level with the approaching bunny. "Ooooh, he's purty! Mum! Mum! I wanna purple bunny!" 

"Chester darling, come away from the cage and stand next to me. Those rabbits will be here later when we return with Rebecka." Ginny turned away from the bunny cage to see the mother of one of the fourth year Gryffindors, Rebecka Hallowhits, lean into the counter in a gossiping position with one of the Magical Menagerie's employees, a man old enough to be the owner's husband. "That poor girl, seeing her familiar being eaten by a muggle cat. You know, the only thing left of that poor owl were two tail feathers, sprouting out of the cat's mouth! The poor cat looked the very image of—Chester, get your hands out of that cage now!" 

Ginny turned to see the young Chester pulling his chubby fingers out of the cage just as the face of the lavender bunny dissolved into a mess of sharp teeth and wicked snarls. The boy all but leaped four feet in the air and began screaming as tears ran down his bright red face. 

Ginny stepped back as the Hallowhits woman raced to her son. "What did I tell you Chester?! Don't put your fingers into rabbit cages! Honestly!" The woman grabbed her son's hands and examined the fingers, rubbing her long fingers over each digit as if to assure herself that her son's fingers were all in tact. Consoling herself that all the fingers were safe and sound on Chester's hand, the woman reached out and grabbed the boy's earlobe and pulled him towards the doorway of the shop. 

"If you EVER disobey me again, Chester," the woman threatened over the boy's whimperings, "I'll buy four of those rabbits and put them in your sock drawer!"

"Not my socks mum!" The boy cried out in horror, his wails fading as the door slammed behind the two. 

Ginny rolled her eyes and turned back to the bunnies, glad her hands had been too big to fit through the cage. She'd had a gnome munch on her finger before and have to have the digit magically reattached when she was five, and she was in no rush to have to wrestle her thumb or pinkie finger from a rabid… rabbit. 

"You tried to fool me, purple bunny, but it won't work again." Ginny said in her most menacing voice, leaning down to look eye to eye with the lavender rabbit. The animal cocked it's fury head to the side as if to consider her threat, it's eyes betraying it's true purpose-- it was obviously judging to see if it could attack poor Ginny. 

"Savage." Ginny said, although her mouth betrayed her amusement at the situation when it split into a tentative smile. Ginny paused in her smile when she felt the barest tickle along the back of her nasal passages. She frowned, wondering what on earth could be overpowering the anti-allergy spell she had performed before the trio and her had journeyed to Diagon Alley this morning. 

Ginny looked around in alarm as the bare tickle began to itch in earnest, burning her throat and nose. She saw that no one was looking at her and felt her shoulders automatically inching up towards her head as her body prepared for a massive sneeze sure to rattle the cages off their hinges. She leaned back, taking one, then two deep breaths to fight off the urge to sneeze, but her lungs and nose had another idea as the burning triggered a massive sneeze--

"Ah-chooo!" Ginny's mouth roared, booming across the cage. Through the blurry vision that her burning eyes allowed her to see, Ginny caught sight of the lavender bunny as it popped invisible again. "Ha!" The girl said with a laugh that was cut off by another sneeze. 

Too late, Ginny brought a small hand up to her mouth, and looked around the store, sure the witch who owned the Magical Menagerie was going to throw her out on her rear while the other customers clapped and cheered. But no one was looking at the sneezing Weasley girl. 

Everyone in the room had their eyes glued on Harry Potter on the ground with his right foot stretched up in the air and his hands covering his red face. Ron was standing to the side and laughing his head off, his own face so red even Ginny couldn't tell the freckles from the normal colored skin_. Merlin, does my brother have to be the largest dolt in all of Britain_? Ginny wondered, thankful that Ron wasn't resorting to pointing and laughing at poor Harry's misfortune as he usually did. 

_I wonder where Hermione is_. Ginny thought, looking around for her friend but not seeing her mass of brown hair.  Hermione would help her keep Ron from making a total fool of himself and help poor Harry up... 

"Ron, get control of yourself. You're making a scene!" Ginny said angrily, her fingers itching to pinch his arm raw in an attempt to cure him of his insane guffaws. 

Ron, however, ignored his sister and only proceeded to laugh harder. 

Ginny rolled her eyes, wondering why Ron had to be her brother. He was stinky, rude, and had too many freckles.... but then again he was also the reason that Harry Potter stayed at her house during the summer, so she should be thankful for that. Not wanting to help Harry up because she was afraid she would stammer and look like a fool as always, Ginny tried a new tactic. "Ron, where's Hermione?" 

Ron looked at her and laughed even harder, if it was humanly possible. His hands clutched his flat stomach helplessly as sobs of laughter wracked his body. 

Ginny had lost all patience with her bother at this point and did the only thing she could do. She reached over and pinched Ron just above the inner flesh of her brother's freckled arm. "You asked for it Ron." Ginny said with a smile as Ron howled with pain, jumping from one leg to another.

"No fair! No fair!" Ron yelled, his face assuming that man-pout some women thought was absolutely dashing but Ginny thought was absolutely stupid. 

"Take it like a man, Ron. Now tell me where Hermione is, and don't you dare start laughing again!"

"No, no, no more pinching! You shouldn't pinch me, anyway, I'm older you know." Ron arched his chin towards the sky and assumed a stiff and tall authoritative stance, although it was quick to tobble over when Ginny came after him with her fingers in pinching position. 

"I don't see why you pinch anyway. Pinching is for wussies who can't fight, and that's not something us boys taught you anyway." Ron complained, rubbing his arm. 

"Would you rather I kick you in the shins? I didn't think so. Now where's Hermione?"

"I'm over here; help me up for Pete's sake." Came Hermione's muffled voice. Ginny turned to see Harry still on the ground, but when she squinted she was able to make out a thick chunk of brown hair underneath Harry's right elbow. 

"Oh, Ron." Ginny said with a sigh, and pulled her brother to help the two. "Why didn't you tell me Harry had smushed Hermione? She's probably dead!"

"What, are you saying I'm fat?" Harry asked in a mock-hurt tone.

Ginny stopped all movement. Harry... had joked with HER? A large fangirl part of her wailed with joy at the apparent acceptance of her into the Dream Team. She imagined Harry and her running through muggle London holding hands and singing their true love for each other while eating ice cream....

"Er, Ginny, little help here?" Ron said as he elbowed Ginny in the side, bringing her back into reality. He moved down and rolled Harry off Hermione and tried to lift the Boy-Who-Lived up with loud grunts. 

"Man, Harry, you really **_are_** packing some weight." Ron kidded, ducking the mock-blow Harry sent his way when the spectacled hero managed to swing up onto his feet.

Ginny shook her self and ducked her head to hide her dark blush. _I need to get a life._ Ginny thought with an agony only a teenager can feel. _He probably thinks I'm a moron._ She thought angrily, reaching down to clasp Hermione's hand and yanking the startled girl to her feet. 

"Man, between the heat making my hair frizz up ten times more then normal, Harry smashing the life out of me, and you ripping my arm out of it's socket, I don't think today could get any worse!"

Ginny looked around for something wooden to knock on but wasn't able to find any. "Hermione, you just jinxed us! Something really bad is going to happen now!"

"Rubbish! That's just a crazy old muggle superstition! You know, I read this book once-"

"No, Hermione, it's true! Knocking on wood breaks the jinks!" Ginny said in earnest, catching sight of a wooden crate slightly hidden behind a lush red owl cage curtain. Ginny sprinted over to the crate and rapped her knuckles against the side, satisfied that she had halted the jinks and she wouldn't have to face any more bad things occurring that day. She shuddered to think what would top a run-in with Draco Malfoy and his _mother_!

Ginny began to stand up, but before she could move up from the crate she heard a soft scampering sound from within. Intrigued, Ginny carefully moved the red owl curtain back and gasped at what she saw.

Inside the crate were three small kittens! 

"Aw, Hermione, come look at these kittens!" Ginny whispered in awe, wondering what breed the pretties could be. Their fur, even compared to other kittens, looked as soft as a feather and probably nicer to smell, too. She felt Hermione slide up next to her and moved her head up to see the other girl. 

"Oh, those are... um... nice kittens. I can't seem to remember seeing any that looked quite like those." 

"They aren't too young, either." Ginny pointed out when one of the kittens, a bronze one with rich brown markings criss-crossing its back, opened its startling green eyes. "It can open its eyes, and its mother doesn't seem to be here, so the little darlings can't be too young."

"I think they're six or seven weeks. They certainly are precious, although they don't have the personality of Crookshanks." 

Ginny laughed. "I don't think any other animal has a personality quite like Crookshanks, Hermione. But these kittens are special! I've never seen any with markings like them! They remind me of Egypt for some reason..."

"That's right, you and Ron went there a few years ago with the rest of the family! Hmm.... you are right, they do remind me of Egypt. I've never seen a feline with eyes that color! Very light green, almost like jade."

"They certainly are cute." Ginny said with a sigh, laughing when a dark kitten rolled onto its stomach and batted up at the girls in a playful gesture. The third, a beautiful silver and white kitten, remained rolled in a tight ball. He looked older then the others, but it was impossible to tell for sure with the poor kitten rolled up as tight as it was. It looked terrified! Ginny could see the fine hair on the kitten trembling!

"I know what these are!" Hermione suddenly announced. "And they are quite illegal, too! We have the luck to see three real life Ailuros!"

"Ailuros? But I thought those cats weren't allowed out of Egypt! I thought only Egyptian Wizards were even allowed to SEE the cats, much less handle them!" Ginny looked down at the cats with an even finer appreciation for their beauty.

The Ailuros breed was one of Egypt's treasures, a living proof to the glory of the ancient Egyptian Wizarding community. The breed was magically produced millennia ago and bred for beauty, magic, and talent. For some reason, and Ginny couldn't remember why at the moment, the felines were banned from Britain and were not even allowed out of Egypt! 

"Wow." Ginny managed to say, smiling at the two kittens as they began to play with each other. But the poor silver kitten was bundled all alone, ignored by the other two. Her heart went out to the kitten-- she knew how it felt to be ignored by siblings. After all, she was a Weasley!

Cautious about petting another magical animal, especially after the toothy lavender bunny run-in a few minutes prior, Ginny nevertheless reached out and carefully stroked the fur of the silver kitten. It opened its eyes revealing the same green color as the other two and meowed shyly up at Ginny. 

"Aw." Both girls said together, taken in by the cuteness of the kitten. 

The silver feline uncoiled itself and arched its back, revealing the fact it was indeed larger then the other two. The kitten meowed again and looked up at both girls with a half smile on its clever face, obviously wanting to be petted again. 

"Why, the cat likes us!" Hermione said with a laugh, reaching down to pet the kitten. It purred deeply and rubbed its face against Hermione's palm, showing off the black markings decorating its pale face. 

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" A voice boomed behind them, causing both girls and the silver kitten to jump up in shock.

Ginny turned slowly to see the enraged face of the man who was Ginny had earlier thought to be the husband of the owner of the store. One vein was standing out on his neck not unlike how one stood out on Ron's neck when he was angry, but the right side of his face twitched unlike anyone Ginny had ever seen before. The whole side of his face seemed to leap up in a jerky movement!

"Um, sir, we were just admiring your beautiful kittens!" Ginny managed to stammer out, while Hermione cautiously examined the man.

"You can show yourselves out of this shop right this minute! No touching the animals!"

"Well, actually sir I was hoping to buy a familiar-"

The man looked over Ginny's faded and patched ropes and her hair swept in tattered and mismatched hair ribbons and let loose a grating laugh. "Girlie, those cats are worth more then you and that other girl combined! You can find something more in your price range out front by the... rat bin."

Ginny looked down at the shopkeeper's feet and sighed. The silver kitten behind her meowed, but she didn't have the heart to disobey the owner of the store and pet him. "Yes sir." Ginny managed to say, starting to stand up, but was held back by Hermione throwing out an arm.

"Hold on a second Ginny, I think I have a plan." Hermione said with a smile, then turned to the man and stood to her full height. "Mr. Streeler, what you have here is an illegal feline."

"Wha-What? No, no, that's only a cat."

"But you said it yourself. Now, this girl's father works in the Ministry of Magic, so I could go over to the Ministry and tell her father about the felines here and do my witches duty to report a felony."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Girlie, you don't want to threaten me--"

"Oh, I wouldn't do a thing like that. To be honest I wouldn't want to go to the Ministry today anyway, with the heat and all. But, still, it _IS my duty to report a felony...."_

The man narrowed his eyes even more. "Are you trying to bribe me?"

Hermione smiled. "Trying to bribe you? Why, my good man, I should hope that it was more apparent that I am bribing you, not TRYING to. Now, if you give Ginny here that silver cat--"

The man began to laugh loudly. "Do you have any _idea_ how much that Ailuros cat is worth?!"

Hermione nodded slowly. "Oh, I don't know the exact figure, but I'm sure it's worth enough that if I tell the ministry about your little brood here they'd rush in and close your shop for an investigation."

The tick on the right side of the man's face began to jerk again. "The silver one?" He rubbed his jaw, looking from the cats to Hermione. "Fine, it's a foundling anyway. A runt, too. But you'll have to get that cat neutered if you're going to take him-- the penalty for having a full blooded male Ailuros running around is ten times more then a female... wait, why am I telling you this?! Get that cat and get out!"

The man turned on his tail and walked to the front, leaving Ginny to stare up at Hermione in shock. The silver cat crawled out of the box and into Ginny's lap and began to meow again. 

"Oh my gosh, Hermione. I can't believe you did that!"

"I know, that felt good! And did you see that tick?!"

Both girls laughed before they were interrupted by the silver kitten's soft but needy meow, signaling it wanted to be petted NOW. 

Ginny rolled her eyes at her cat's needy nature and stood, cradling the cat against her chest. He had stopped shivering and was staring about the store with curious eyes. Ginny smiled softly as she stroked his soft fur, knowing deep inside that this was HER cat. 

"So what are you going to name him?" Hermione asked as the two began to head to the front of the shop. Harry and Ron were waiting outside, although the latter was staring at the rat cages with a bit too eager an expression.

"I don't know yet. I think I'm going to wait until he shows more of a personality first before I go and name him." Ginny brought the kitten up to her face and gave him a big kiss on the top of his head. The kitten stared at Ginny in shock before his face scrunched up in disgust. 

"Ok, ok, no kissy-kissy then." Ginny said with a laugh, exiting the store through the door Hermione was holding open. "Erm, Hermione, do you think we can leave out me getting the kitten for free?"

Hermione smiled. "What, and let Ron know you can buy him another Goobers? I don't think the world could handle another of Ron's precious rats!"

Ginny shook her head and laughed. "No, I don't think it could."

"What could?" Harry asked as the two girls approached them, his eyes glancing down to see the kitten. "Oh, you found a familiar!"

Ginny felt her knees start to melt into the cobblestones at her feet when Harry smiled at her. _He likes my cat!_ She thought to herself, feeling her mouth forming a crazy grin.

Before Ginny could open her mouth and say something that would embarrass her, Ron turned away from the rats to see what his sister had bought. When he saw the kitten in his sister's arms, the eagerness in Ron's face vanished. "Ew, Ginny! You got a _CAT_!"

"Do you have something against felines, Ronald Weasley?!" Hermione asked stiffly, glaring at her friend. 

Ron held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "No, wouldn't dream of it Hermione. Even when they try to eat my poor rats." He added with one last look at the rats in the store window. 

"Well, we'd better go finish our school shopping if we want to get back to the Burrow in time for supper." Harry reminded them gently. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, but he moved away from the store. 

And so Ginny Weasley walked away from the Magical Menagerie that afternoon with her precious feline clinging to her chest and Harry Potter at her side-- filled with a certain happiness that the pieces of the world were falling into place and that the approaching year was going to be the best ever. 

**Authors Note:**

Hello everyone! Sorry for waiting so long to put chapter two up, but the previous versions of this chapter just weren't funny enough. So in a total procrastination effort during finals week, I re-worked what I had of this chapter and managed to make it work! And yes, this is a D/G story, but I wanted to play with Ginny having a fangirl crush on Harry Potter still XD. And Draco is just so fun to write when he's being mock-evil XD.

I really liked the purple bunnies, and I adore how Hermione turned out in this chapter. She isn't my strongest character to write, but I think I did an alright job at her characterization. And, I couldn't work in the next verse of Goober's Eulogy, but I'll try for next chapter. 

So, if you liked this story, or you want to flame this story, feel free to review! I always love getting feedback because it motivates me to work faster at putting the next chapter up. Either that or my roommate prodding me with sharp pointy objects XD


End file.
